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"You? You alone don't do anything except what I tell you. Do you understand? We must work together if we want to get out of here alive. It's the only way we stand a chance." Grimly, she looked over at the enemy, who was constantly throwing these colored balls at the shield and having a great time.
She looked at me resolutely.
"They want you," she clarified. A fact that had not escaped me. "That means we have to confuse them and mess them up so they think they have their prey when they don't."
"What do you mean? Something like a diversionary maneuver?" I tried to find out. What was the Goddess of Magic planning?
"Exactly. Those monsters can't grasp your true nature with their souls. They can only smell it, and you definitely smell like a human now that you've taken off the ring," Hecate explained. "So, how about we lay several scent trails and cover up your own scent at the same time?" A sly grin flitted across her face. I couldn't help but smile too.
"Good idea! And if we're both thinking the same thing, then you mean my clothes, right?"
"You have grasped it. Every piece you carry on your body has your scent. The only question is, how can we cast these lures so that some of the group will follow them?" the goddess pondered. A small bead of sweat appeared on her forehead, and only now did I realize that this bubble around us must be costing her a lot of strength. She couldn't keep it up forever.
My gaze wandered over the landscape, and suddenly, I noticed the countless animals in this part of the world. An idea came to me.
"Would it be possible to lure the animals to us?" I asked.
"The animals?" Hecate looked around in confusion until her face brightened. "You're a genius, Myrina. That's the solution. A garment on a fast horse, deer, or zebra could provide sufficient confusion. Let me take care of attracting our animal helpers. Yours is to undress." One of her treacherous grins disfigured her face. What had Tanael said about her again? She was as fickle as the moon? I hated to admit it, but he was absolutely right about that.
"Isn't it a bit conspicuous when I undress piece by piece, and they see me, but my scent disappears?" I pondered doubtfully.
"I'll wrap you in a dark mist," Hecate explained, and I wasn't sure what to think.
"But first, we have to find a mud hole for you," the goddess said, distracting me from my doubts.
"What's the point of a mud hole?" The moment I said it, I understood the meaning behind it. I was supposed to bathe in the mud to cover up my smell.
"Take my hand. Then we'll walk backward very slowly. On the way there, I saw an almost dried-up river branch. That should be enough for our purpose." She energetically grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to her. I had never been this close to the Goddess of Magic before. I could now see that the silver of her eyes was truly liquid.
We made our way across the meadow step by step. Apparently, Hecate knew where we had to go even without a path. This telepathic connection with the power of Hades and Persephone seemed to work.
"Look, they're scared of us," jeered one of the creatures. Every time we moved away from them, they got twice as close to us. By now, I could clearly see the individual scraps of skin. Our group also seemed to attract more of them, as more creatures gathered around us, attacking us and weakening the Goddess of Magic. She remained steadfast on her feet, but I could feel the slight trembling that had taken hold of her body.
I looked worriedly at our shield. It was already visibly thinner than at the beginning, and fireballs were stuck in its structure in some places. None of the projectiles had reached us yet, but it was only a matter of time before the bubble burst, and we would be exposed to them without protection.
I resolutely snatched my hand from Hecate. "Envelop me!" I shouted so I couldn't change my mind, or the goddess would eventually run out of strength.
Black vortices immediately wrapped around me. I hastily tore off my corsage, shirt, boots, and trousers. I only left my panties on.
Quite unexpectedly, a zebra suddenly stood next to me. It snorted lightly and nudged me with its snout in invitation. I cautiously handed it my shirt, which it took between its teeth, and immediately chased off into the forest bordering the meadow.
"She's trying to escape!" shouted one of the dead men on the side flanking the forest. It worked. My heart leaped. Through the mists, I saw a few figures running after the zebra at an inhuman pace.
Something soft brushed against my leg. Startled, I looked down. A white rabbit the size of a Labrador was looking at me with red eyes. The next moment, it took off in the opposite direction across the fields with my corsage. This time, too, a few of the attackers followed it. When I saw them running away, I realized that escape was not an option for me. They would have overpowered me within seconds.
There were also two horses and an ostrich, which set off with my trousers and a boot each.
When we finally reached the mud hole, the walking corpses had dwindled to a small group of five relentless opponents. But Hecate could barely stand on her feet.
It was now up to me to cover my scent well enough and then take us to the beach. Hopefully, the goddess would be able to create a portal there.
As quickly as possible, I tied my weapon belt with trembling hands. The lacing wasn't right from front to back, but as long as I didn't lose it, I didn't care.
Then, without thinking about it, I jumped into the brown broth. As if soaping myself, I smeared the sludge all over my body. It stank terribly, and I was already sick to my stomach. But the worst was yet to come: my hair and face.
"Come on, girl!" Hecate gasped and sank to her knees, exhausted. The bubble flickered briefly, and one of the fireballs grazed my cheek. The pain flared up hot. Panic overcame me.
Without hesitation, I plunged my head into the mud. Bile rose in my throat, and I had to grit my teeth to suppress the numbing sting of my wound.
